Five Scottish connections to France

Wednesday 3 February 2016

Scotland striker Steven Fletcher joined Olympique Marseille on loan from Sunderland on the final day of the January transfer window. To mark his move, we look at five football connections between Scotland and France…

John Collins | Monaco, 1996-1998

Collins joined AS Monaco from Celtic in 1996, where he enjoyed a successful two -year spell with the club from the principality. A French championship in his first season was followed by a successful run in the UEFA Champions League in 1998, beating Manchester United on their way to the semi-finals.

Franck Sauzee | Hibernian, 1999-2001

A Champions League winner with Marseille and with 39 caps for France, Sauzee’s spell at Easter Road is one that is remembered with fondness by the Hibernian faithful. Sauzee scored 13 goals in 77 for Hibs, including a header in an Edinburgh derby which caused him concussion. As the writer Irvine Welsh wrote:

"At Hibs, his legs may have been heavier than of old, but like all gifted footballers easing into the veteran years, he made up for this with his incredible vision and anticipation. Sauzee invariably sensed exactly where the ball was going next and made everything look so easy. Instead of dictating from the midfield, he stepped back to do it from the sweeper's position, yet still loved to surge forward and was always a goal threat."

Stéphane Guivarc’h | Rangers, 1998-99

Guivarc’h didn’t spend too long in Scotland before heading back to France to play with Auxerre, but he did manage to complete the domestic treble in his one season at Ibrox. A World Cup winner from the previous summer, Guivarc’h scored five goals in his 14 appearances for Rangers.

Ray Stephen | Nancy, 1987–1991

Ray Stephen’s story is a unique one. Following a successful seven years with Dundee, a young Arsene Wenger signed the Scot for Nancy. In 152 appearances for the French club Stephen scored 55 goals, and is fifth in their all-time scoring list. Despite this, Stephen never earned a full international cap for Scotland.

Stéphane Adam | Hearts, 1997-2002

Hearts fans will remember Adam as the scorer of the goal that ended the Gorgie club’s 36 year wait for a trophy. The Frenchman scored Hearts’ second goal in the 1998 Scottish Cup Final victory over Rangers, and scored 28 goals in 108 matches for the Tynecastle team.